vman59
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While there remains good ice on the chain , anywhere from 16-20 inch's fishing for the most part has slowed somewhat.The bite right now is slow lots of fish marked on the sonars and seen on the camera but just not alot of takers no matter what you put down there.Only really active bite is very early morning and late afternoon. If we get the higher temps and rain the ice will go fast. For now the landings aren't to bad but it can be seen that it won't take much to make them useless. Please be careful out there and use your best judgement. I will post reports a couple times a week. 
Edited by vman59 (03/27/06 06:51 AM)
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vman59
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Sorry for the lack of action on the thread . I will be on regularly with reports and will help anyway I can information wise.
Rgiht now panfish action is very good on gills and crappies, gills are in shallow and in some cases you can actually target them by eye. Crappies seem to be moving back out into the deeper water somewhat from their shallow haunts of the past month or so. Walleye action is slow or in some cases non exsistant. Trolling up Prairie with fire tiger crank baits in 8-12 fow should produce but don't expect constant action.
Bass are moving shallow and are fairly active with the channel between Pokegama and Mud being a very good spot right now.
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vman59
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will post some pics of the perch and walleyes I have been getting over the past 2-3 weeks and they are still biting.Just to let you know the date on my camera is of by one day and I can't figure out how to change it.
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vman59
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more
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vman59
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another day
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silverstreak
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I am going on a trip to chetek june 4 - 10 and I was wondering how the spawn is for the panfish and also about the walleyes. This is my first trip to chetek.  Was wondering if any one has any suggestions. I would like to fish walleyes, But I can handle a panfish also. How are the muskies on Potato lake? Just wondering what bait to concentrate on for the listed species. 
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vman59
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Silverstreak; The crappies are starting to move out ot their deep water areas but are still fairly shallow. gills are shallow and making beds with the clear water you can target them by sight. For walleyes it has been extremely slow. the fish I posted came out of Big Chetac by Birchwood which is about a 45 minute drive from Chetek.
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Jason Halfen
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Nice eyes vman!
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Jason Halfen ~ IDO Pro Staff
Guided walleye and smallmouth bass fishing in western Wisconsin: JasonHalfenOutdoors.com
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vman59
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Jason ; took some friends there tonight and out of the 4 of us we caught 7 eyes 16.5 - 21. Working the large sand/mud flat north of the islands dead center in the lake. Also caught about 15 jumbo perch.
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vman59
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As i said before there is a good bite going on right now on both the Chetek Chain for panfish mainly but I have heard that northern action is picking up in the southern end of the chain.
Big Chetac right now is very good for walleyes, jumbo perch, crappies and gills.
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silverstreak
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thanks for the info vman59. Maybe I will see you up there.
I will be in a 1850 fishhawk tan\green with a 135 optimax.
Hopefully I can show you my catch and offer a refreshment
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kingfishbob
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as vman said the south end of the chain is lighting up. crappies appear to be done spawning and heading to deeper water. gills up next. silver birch area hot yesterday for crappies to 11 inches. most in deeper water right on the bottom.
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vman59
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Welcome onboard King !
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vman59
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King please be patient while we wait for that Elderly statesmen from the north end of Prairie to log on.
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Hurricane
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Yeah, well, the "Elderly Statesman" has made the trip....FINALLY!!!!! Can we say that on here or will it get pulled like that other psuedo site that went to the dogs?????????
ANYWAY, HERE I IS....Let the FUN begin!!!!
'Cane
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vman59
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ya can say anything as long as you keep it clean.
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Hurricane
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NO problem there...what are the weekend plans
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vman59
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thinking about hitting BC very early tomorrow morning but Monday for sure. Want to get on th lake before the idiot boaters get on it.
Have the sons graduation party this afernoon.Your more than welcome to stop over.
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Hurricane
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Monday morning will work, too...message me if you are going tomorrow, though.....
Or call...............
Edited by Hurricane (05/27/06 08:31 PM)
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vman59
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this morning catch on Big Chetac.They sure tore up the weedbeds this weekend weeds floating everywhere.
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Hurricane
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(by his SON)
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vman59
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lots of nice gills working the shoreline on the northeast side of the long brdge that seperates Prarie and Chetek.
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Hurricane
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Vman is definitely right...... The gills are in the shallows big time. My shoreline is very active with "boils" every night just before dark and again in the morning before the wind kicks up. It is "popper time" on the chain.
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silverstreak
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vman59
what is the best approach to the walleyes on the chetek chain. and do you usuallly fish deep or shallow? How is the water clarity on the lakes, I normally fish the mississippi, where clarity is very important to determine the color of lures, Any advise would be very helpful. thanks.
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Aaron Robinson
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its a good thing i got my fly rod loaded up in the boat already! cant beat gils on a flyrod. cant wait to get up there.
-Aaron
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"there are MEN who fish...Then there are FISHERMEN"-Grandpa Gary Robinson
People ask me why I fish.. I tell them "you never know the next cast could be THE ONE."
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Jason Halfen
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Hey guys....just wanted to let you know that the Boss has set up a dedicated Chetek forum for threads related to fishing the chain. Look for it towards the top of the WI menu. Have fun! 
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Jason Halfen ~ IDO Pro Staff
Guided walleye and smallmouth bass fishing in western Wisconsin: JasonHalfenOutdoors.com
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Hurricane
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Aaron~ can't help you on the bass other than to tell you that EVERY tournament they have on the chain, it seems all boats head straight for Frankenburg Slough. This is the bay on the north end of Prairie, just south of Veteran's Park (check the map)The tourney guys beat the water to a froth up here. I know, I live on it.
As far as the flyrod.....DEFINITELY don't forget that, as was said before the gills are going nuts...the water around my pier is just simply alive and boiling every night when the wind goes down. So, if you can't get bass, there are always nice gills. They are a better size class this year than I have seen in many, many years, as proved by what Vman and I caught this winter. You should have fun, either specie.
As far as walleye.....that is another story. The days of going out and catching a quick meal of them are over. We have a definite over population of small LM bass and they have taken over all of my "historic" walleye holes...Trolling seem to be the only way, of late, as there have been some beauties taken with this method....the down side of that is there are some real idiot pontoon owners who have absolutely no respect for fisherman and probably will cut your line, so, if you chose this method, be sure to watch for them. The sad part of this is most of these dorks LIVE on the chain and SHOULD know better....
Bottom line...you WILL have fun. Hope this helps!!!!
'cane
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kingfishbob
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eye were hot last night but unfortunately all were 11 to 13 inches. 7 total in the boat in 1/2 hr with leeches and slip floats down 7 to 9 ft.just before dark. several big gills cpr'd.
watch out cane as the new boat will get to your area quickly if the guide will let me use full power. Have to get there to check out gills. My guests have been doing well on gills with fly rod off my docks and along the ten mile shore.
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Hurricane
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I hear ya........they are literally stacked along my shoreline....Too bad it's so FAR down there and the War dept has all kinds of plans for me...
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vman59
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thats it I am going to go off Cane's pier !!!!
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Hurricane
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I sure as heck ain't gonna drag yer chubby little body back up that darn hill.................
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kingfishbob
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gills north of burnahm island in 12 ft. small leeches at dark last night all were 9 to 10 inches. no eyes though. BUT we almost had a wreck to behold. two deer swimming in Chetek out in 18 ft of water in the dark w/o running lights on them. Was coming across when we saw what appeared as two ducks taking off but turned out to be flopping ears. Just missed hitting them. would be something to explain to the ins man. " hit two deer with my boat in the lake, am I covered" thank god I saw them in time.
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putor2001
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I'm still going out at least once or twice a day, and still pickin up 9" to 10" Crappies all over the North end of Prarie. Young Eagles left there nest in the Vets Park bay on Sat. Cane, give me a jingle sometime when ya wan-a go out.
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Hurricane
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Will have to be after this weekend going down to the Michigan Outing thing at Two Rivers.......can you say, KING SALMON??????
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putor2001
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Yes Sir....... Good luck.... Knock em dead.
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Hurricane
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Knock 'em dead we didn't!!! TOUGH FISH'N everyone except two boats had a tough time.....We only boated two rainbows, one small king and a laker...had a blast though...well worth the trip. See ya on the water, sometime.
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putor2001
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Sorry to hear that Cane... Seems like your last trip was rough too !!!! I go out in the bay here, every morning around 6:30 or 7:00 am and again around 6:00 or so in the evening.... Wroung time for you though.
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kingfishbob
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eyes still slow to tight jawed. panfish are doing well especially crappies off the dee water. 17-18ft at the bottom. most of those we picked off were 10-12 inches. they were feeding over the mud flat in chetek north of baptist bay. reports to me this am indicate a slow bite on bass but those picked up were nice size. Also strange that with the winds of the last 2 -3 days, my guests were getting more gills than crappie. Friday thru sunday it was mainly crappie. will se what shows up tonight in the fishhouse. tight lines to all and a keeper to boot.
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vman59
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word has it from a less than desireable source(putor)LOL! that the crappie bite on the north end of Prairie is pretty good. Sons were out on the southern end of Prairie off the west shore south of Burnhams island and did very good on nice gills in 8-12 fow using leech's under a slip bobber with a colored(red) hook.
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putor2001
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Since the other two Gentlemen ( and I use the word sparingley) that used to fish the North end of Prarie also, don't seem to go out much anymore......  I guess it's up to King & I to keep the reports out, here's mine....
Pan fish are still hittin good up here, but now the last few days after the 100 degree day, they seem to be scattered all over and are less interested. I switched from my favorite jig & smoke colered twister-tail, to a green tube jig which they like pretty well, and this morning I had to add "Crappie candy" too. Water temp was 83.6 before the rain ran me off the lake..... Yep I said rain!!!! Almost forgot what it was like to see water fall from the sky, as we've only had a bit over an inch in the last three months!!!!
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kingfishbob
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well crappies and gills remain active but a little harder to find the larger one. Our success has been in the silver birch area of chetek in 9-10 ft of water. Means drifting in the middle amongst the numerous tubers and skiers. Should be more quiet today and will post if any major catches occur.
Bass were hitting in the shallows yesterday with some regularity. Several nice bass in the 2-4 lb were caught.
Have notice that the fish were doing best on a falling barometer in the last few weeks. Opposite what I was always led to believe ( steady high ws good fishing). Guess I will have to rethink it all over again.
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kingfishbob
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we still have a very active crappie and gill bite going on right now. weekend weather may stall it out but not sure. they are taking small jigs with abandon and many I am seeing are 10 inch and larger.
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putor2001
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Panfish are hitting all over the Chetek Chain.
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vman59
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ice is forming pretty good but is still spotty at best and varies in thickness.Did see some people out on the ice in and around the wolf's den on the north end and down between gilligans and Northwoods.
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vman59
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Fishing on the Chetek chain has been pretty good with a good 8 inch's of ice the average.Gills , perch & crappie have been biting on the entire chain with nice catch's of perch coming off of Prairie.Crappies have been good around northwoods in the evening but be careful of the ice by the bridge.Walleyes have slowed but they are still getting some mostly late afternoon. Northern action has also been fairly steady fishing the weed bed or weedlines.
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vman59
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fished Prarie yesterday afternoon. Caught some nice perch .
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Dartman
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How has the walleye bite been on Prairie? I've never ice fished it before. Any tips?
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pearson_33@yahoo.com --- Pool 5A, Big Round, Lake Wissota
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vman59
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they have been getting a few eyes on the north end of Prarie and earlier on Chetek but been pretty slow as of late. Your better bet would be Red Cedar around Stout island.
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Dartman
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Thanks!
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pearson_33@yahoo.com --- Pool 5A, Big Round, Lake Wissota
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bigschtik
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Fished Pokegama and Chetek fairly hard the last few days. Lots of little gills on Pokegama with bigger fish few and far between. Fished channel edges around 10-12 ft and around some cribs. Got a few decent crappies also. Chetek was slow for crappies, there was a flurry in the evening that lasted about an hour and thats it. Saw a few people fishing tipups by the bridge between Pokegama and Chetek pulling out a few fish, but there was open water near by.
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Jeff Krisik
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I fished Prarie Saturday, with limited action. I fished mainly the northern part near Vets Park and Wolf's. Tried a little further south. There was no mid day bite and caught a few small ones in the afternoon...where did all the fish go?
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Jeff "Krisko" Krisik~In-Depthangling Field Staff
Chilson Chrysler Dodge/
Gamehide Outdoor Wear
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bigschtik
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Looked like they were biting during the tournement a week or so ago. I was dissapointed though. This was my first time on the area lakes, nice area but the fishing was poor. Maybe I just hit it at a bad time. I was under the imression that these lakes are known for quality bluegills. The biggest one I caught was 7"
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bigpike
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These lakes get a ton of pressure, this time of year I am finding if you hit less pressured lakes or areas you will have better luck consistently. Also it is my believe on heavy pressured shallow lakes once the driving begins on them the fishing goes downhill....Lake Altoona here in Eau Claire would be a prime example of this, I wont even waste my time on this lake until last ice because the of the driving/ intense fishing pressure
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"Goverment is not the answer to peoples problems. Goverment is the problem" Ronald Reagan
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Jeff Krisik
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Quote:
Looked like they were biting during the tournement a week or so ago. I was dissapointed though. This was my first time on the area lakes, nice area but the fishing was poor. Maybe I just hit it at a bad time. I was under the imression that these lakes are known for quality bluegills. The biggest one I caught was 7"
Yeah...usually you can get some really good fish. Right now the key is getting away from everyone. I usually try to find some of the spots with less pressure on this lake chain. They are there...just like any lake they have their moments.
Bigpike,
I have to disagree about Altoona...I heard that all last year too that once people drive on fishing is done and it is the dead sea...I caught most of my fish and biggest fish during this period. My suggestion is to get away from shanty town and the cribs and try the channel area and other places with good structure.
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Jeff "Krisko" Krisik~In-Depthangling Field Staff
Chilson Chrysler Dodge/
Gamehide Outdoor Wear
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bigpike
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Yes Jeff I do agree there are fish to be caught and some dandy's, I guess I prefer more solitude. The pressure this lake recieves once the ice is "truck safe" is just not for me. I love the lake, the more I fish it the more its treasures are unlocked, I just pick my season's to fish it, with fall being my favorite time 
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"Goverment is not the answer to peoples problems. Goverment is the problem" Ronald Reagan
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vman59
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I live just a couple miles away and fish the chain mostly Prairie and do fine all winter on nice gills and perch. The others are right get off away by yourself.I take my atv and work the area north and south of Burnhams island and punch a ton of holes and then hole hop. They are there and when you hit the right hole its can be a blast.i did find out last year in particular that they preferred mousies to waxies 5-1.
Edited by vman59 (01/30/07 08:21 PM)
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Bassmaster_WI
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Has any one been on the Chetek Chain recently ice fishing? I am thinking of going up there soon I fish it in the summer because my mom has a cabin but I haven't fished it on the ice.
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vman59
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crappie fishing is hot on the entire chain. Finds some down wood in the water and you'll find the crappies.
Edited by vman59 (05/07/07 05:39 PM)
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Hawg Lbr
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has the weather shut the crappies down? heading to the folks place on prarie, and wondering what to expect fishing this weekend!?
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Take a Kid Fishing, Cuz you get to go Too!!
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vman59
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Just wanted to pass this on to everyone who reads this thread who comes to the chain fishing. The DNR was on Prairie lake doing oxygen readings, it was not good news as we were told that the bays on Prairie are basically dead no O2. I don't know if the aerator was on this year or not.
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smithkeith
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Is there any open water any where on the chain yet??? 
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vman59
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ah that would be a big NO , but there is still a good 25 inch's of ice on the chain if that helps.
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Hurricane
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Vman is absolutely correct..there is NO open water to speak of on the entire chain...Ice is too thick and don't look like it's going out any time soon. Probably have the most ice at this time of year I have ever seen after living on it for over thrity years. definitely gonna be LATE this year. Sorry!!
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muskiebob59
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The channel on ten mile is wide open from the mouth of the lake as far upstream as you can see. There is a spot from shore you can fish by the bridge. I have been getting some crappies but not a lot of them and they all have been nice size.
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Chetek Chain
Re: Chetek Chain
Re:Chetek Chain
